Many summer residents grow tomato seedlings themselves, trying to create comfortable conditions for it and provide additional nutrition. Indeed, their further development and fruiting depends on the nutrition of plants during the seedling period. However, overdoing it with fertilizers can harm them. Therefore, it is very important to apply fertilizers taking into account the state of the plants and strictly adhere to certain norms.
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Do I need to feed tomato seedlings
Tomatoes need a balanced diet, but you can not rush to apply additional fertilizers if the seeds were sown in fertile soil and while the sprouts have strong stems and bright green leaves.
Strong, healthy seedlings grow in the nutrient medium
However, as the seedling grows, it draws out all the micro and macro elements it needs from the soil and, as a result of an imbalance of nutrients, becomes weak. Top dressing will help the seedlings grow stronger and increase immunity. What types of fertilizers plants need can be judged by their appearance.
- If they begin to wither and shed the lower yellowed leaves, it means that they lack nitrogen.
Nitrogen starvation leads to yellowing of the lower leaves
- Slow growth of seedlings and the acquisition of a purple hue is a sign of a lack of phosphorus.
The purple tint of the leaves of tomato seedlings indicates a lack of phosphorus
- Light yellow leaf plates with clearly visible dark green veins indicate an iron deficiency.
A sign of iron deficiency in tomato seedlings is lightening of leaf plates
Video: is it necessary to feed tomato seedlings
When to feed tomato seedlings
During the seedling period, the plants are fed several times.
- For the first time, fertilizers are applied about 20 days after germination, as soon as 1-2 true leaves are formed in a tiny seedling. You should use a complex composition containing nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and additional trace elements. Fertilizers will not only have a beneficial effect on the growth of seedlings, but will also help to form resistance to diseases.
With the appearance of two leaves in the seedlings, the first feeding is carried out
- Tomatoes are fed a second time 2 weeks after the pick, which is done when 3 leaves appear. The seedlings have already taken root in a new place and need additional nourishment for further growth.
Top dressing will help to more easily transfer the recovery period after a pick
- The next fertilization is performed 7 days before planting seedlings in the ground.
Fertilizing watering before transplanting into the ground will increase the defenses of the seedlings
If necessary, you can fertilize the plants more often, once a week, while reducing the rate of the applied substance by 2 times.
It is advisable to feed the tomatoes in the morning, so as not to cause burns from water droplets on the leaves.
The better to feed tomato seedlings
To feed young shoots, mineral and organic fertilizers are used. Top dressing is applied in two ways: under the root when watering or by spraying on a leaf. The foliar method is considered the most effective for young sprouts, in which nutrients are very quickly absorbed by plants.
When sprayed, nutrients are absorbed faster by the leaves
Mineral fertilizers
Finished fertilizers can be in liquid form (Effect, Ideal, Krepysh, Biohumus) and dry (Agricola, nitroammofoska). Fertilize seedlings with nutrient solutions, strictly following the instructions.
Table: mineral supplements
| Top dressing | Solution preparation |
| 1 top dressing |
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| 2 feeding |
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| 3 feeding |
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Photo gallery: the best fertilizers for seedlings
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- Urea - fertilizer in the form of white granules - supplies plants with nitrogen and accelerates the growth of vegetative mass
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- Krepysh - a water-soluble fertilizer, most of which is nitrogen, promotes the growth of seedlings and increases immunity
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- Nitrogen-containing double superphosphate is a phosphorus fertilizer that ensures the development of the root system and accelerates plant growth
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- Nitrophoska containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium contributes to good nutrition of seedlings
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- Agricola - complex mineral fertilizer for foliar and root feeding of plants
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- Effekton is a natural substrate obtained by composting peat mass with the use of additives
Video: application of fertilizer Krepysh
Folk remedies for tomato seedlings
To feed seedlings, gardeners often use folk remedies, the effectiveness of which has been proven by many years of practice.
How to feed seedlings with ash
Ash is a valuable organic fertilizer, rich in potassium, phosphorus and calcium, which are especially needed by tomato seedlings in the early stages of development. Ash infusion is fed to sprouts at a week of age and again after 14 days. The solution is prepared from 2 tbsp. l. ash and 1 liter of water, insist for a day, filter and apply at the root or spray over the plant.
Ash infusion is an ideal feeding for weak seedlings
Feeding tomato seedlings with yeast
The yeast nutritional supplement is especially useful for young robegs, stimulating their growth and the formation of a strong root system. Yeast fungi, containing amino acids, vitamins, microelements, increase the saturation of plants with vitamins, improve oxygen metabolism.
Baker's yeast can be used as an effective fertilizer for tomato seedlings
Feeding with yeast in the phase of 2-3 leaves improves the survival rate of seedlings after picking. However, such fertilization is effective only when applied to warm soil (at least + 18 ° C). In addition, to avoid a deficiency of potassium and calcium, which are absorbed during fermentation of fungi, yeast is combined with the introduction of ash (20 g) or egg shells (5 g / 10 cm2). To prepare the starter culture, 200 g of fresh yeast is stirred in 1 liter of warm water, after 1 hour it is diluted with water 1:10 and applied to the root on damp ground or the plants are sprayed.
Bread fertilizer, thanks to the yeast base, acts as a biostimulator
Iodine is an effective fertilizer for vegetable seedlings
Using iodine as a top dressing not only improves the development of tomatoes, but also reduces the risk of spreading pathogenic bacteria. 5% alcoholic solution of a pharmaceutical preparation contains iodine, potassium iodide and 96% ethanol. The use of such feeding allows you to avoid iodine deficiency, and, thanks to its antimicrobial properties, protect against diseases. Iodine solution (3 drops \ 10 l of water) is applied in the phase of 2-3 true leaves during root watering or spraying.
Feeding with iodine after picking helps plants to quickly cope with stress and increase immunity
Iodine-milk solution - fertilizer with a protective effect
Chicken manure is a valuable organic fertilizer
The richest source of nutrients is chicken manure. It contains nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and calcium, which are responsible for plant growth and health. To fertilize tomatoes, an infusion of chicken manure is used: 1 liter of organic fertilizer is mixed with 1 liter of water and left in a closed container for fermentation for several days. The concentrate should be diluted 20 times before use.
Chicken droppings contain useful trace elements and bioactive substances that promote active plant growth
This infusion is best used during the first fertilizing watering. However, chicken droppings have an unpleasant smell, and when growing tomato seedlings on the windowsill, it is better to replace it with other means.
Green fertilizer for seedlings
A few days before planting in the ground, the seedlings can be fed with herbal infusion. Nettle, yarrow, dandelion are poured with water in a ratio of 1:10 and left for a week. Before use, the concentrated fertilizer is diluted with water 1:10 and the plants are watered (150 ml / bush).
Herbal infusion - effective organic fertilizer
Video: feeding tomatoes before planting in open ground
Top dressing of seedlings with onion peel infusion
This feeding has a double effect. Carotene contained in onion peel and possessing antioxidant properties promotes intensive growth of seedlings, restores the strength of weakened and damaged plants. And the phytoncides present in the onion shell destroy harmful bacteria. 1 glass of onion peels is poured into 1 liter of boiling water, insisted for 2 days, then filtered, diluted with water 1: 3 and applied over a sheet.
Onion hulls contain nutrients and phytoncides
Nutrition of vegetable seedlings should be balanced, so organic fertilizers should be used in combination with mineral fertilizers.
How to feed tomato seedlings with peroxide
Fertilizing with hydrogen peroxide also has a beneficial effect on tomatoes. The use of peroxide is especially useful for weakened, slow-growing or cut seedlings. Hydrogen peroxide, which is a transparent liquid, is chemically similar to rain and melt water, which is popularly called living water.
To feed tomato seedlings, you can use 3% hydrogen peroxide, which is sold in any pharmacy
When using peroxide, the soil layer is saturated with oxygen, the biochemical processes in the root system are accelerated and the absorption of nutrients is improved.Positive changes after such feeding are noticeable already after a few hours - the leaves of the seedlings become more juicy and acquire a rich green color. Watering or spraying with a solution (1 tbsp. L. \ 1 l) is carried out to accelerate the growth of seedlings or to revive the seedlings that wither after diving.
How to feed weak and thin tomato seedlings
Even experienced gardeners sometimes notice that the seedlings begin to grow too intensively, stretch out, and the stems become thinner. The reason for this may be a violation of agricultural technology, a deficiency or excess of nutrients.
If the tomato seedlings are stretched out and have acquired a pale green color, then it's time to feed them with useful microelements
For the resuscitation of weak and thin seedlings, to control their growth, you can use the stabilizing drug Athlete. As a result of the use of the biostimulant, the growth of the aboveground part of plants slows down, a strong root system is formed, the stem becomes strong and thick. The athlete is used when 3-4 leaves appear, adding a solution (1.5 ml \ 300 ml of water) with watering 1 time. Or the seedlings are sprayed three times with a weekly break with a more concentrated liquid (1.5 ml \ 500 ml).
The use of the drug Athlet will slow down the growth of the aerial part of plants and form a strong root system
After spraying with the preparation, plants can be watered in a day, after root application - after 2-3 days. The last treatment should be carried out 3-5 days before transplanting into the ground.
To get strong, healthy tomato seedlings, you need to provide them with a balanced diet. Modern summer residents have a large arsenal of chemical and folk remedies. However, they should be used taking into account the biological state of the plants and strictly following the instructions.
